Missed Manners

Quiz time: When you visit an office and see the staff working in
jeans and T-shirts, are you shocked at the lack of professionalism,
or do you neglect to notice it because you're too impressed by
the prompt, friendly service you received?

Not too long ago, the term "casual Fridays" didn't
even exist, and it was unheard of to call a client by his or her
first name. Today, young business leaders value results above the
rules they consider to be outdated. "Most [young
entrepreneurs] are determined to create the kind of
results-oriented, no-nonsense environment they craved when they
weren't in a leadership position," says Bruce Tulgan,
author of Work This Way (Hyperion) and co-owner of
RainmakerThinking Inc., a New Haven, Connecticut, management
consulting firm that specializes in Gen X issues. "They're
sidestepping the kind of rules that have no connection to [their
goals]."

But as young businesses grow, etiquette may become a necessity
when working with international clients. "For a while, it was
[only important] who developed the quickest chip," says Lyndy
Janes, co-owner of The Workshoppe, an image and etiquette
consulting company in Los Gatos, California. The firm caters to
Silicon Valley "computer geeks," the mainstay of young,
nonconforming entrepreneurs. "But as you grow, you mix with
other cultures. You're dealing with other people, and you have
to show them respect. I think young [businesspeople] realize
that."

So is this another case of growing up and conforming? Not
necessarily. Traditionalists may have to loosen up to gain the
respect of young entrepreneurs. "If I walk into an environment
where everybody looks like a stuffed shirt, I get nervous,"
says Tulgan. "Are these folks stuck in the workplace of the
past?"

As for young entrepreneurs, Bermuda shorts and other casual
attire may be acceptable in the office, but eventually they'll
need to learn which fork is which for formal business meals.
"With personal and dining etiquette, [there are] some basic
rules," says Janes. "Once you know them, you can bend
them. It's when you don't know the rules and you bend them,
you show yourself up."

New Rules

Out: Corner offices and cubiclesIn: Big, open office spaces with no walls

Out: Mr., Mrs. and Ms.In: Calling clients by their first names

Out: Water-cooler gossipIn: Pinball tournaments in the corporate game
room

Relaxed Fit

Walk into the offices of FitLinxx, and you might just catch
sight of a game of one-on-one Nerf hoops, a workout in the fitness
center or a "cross-departmental" meeting taking
place--with employees shouting instructions across the center
atrium of the office. But one thing is conspicuously absent from
this office.

"A necktie cuts off oxygen to the brain and doesn't let
you think," jokes Keith Camhi, 32, co-founder of FitLinxx, a
Stamford, Connecticut, manufacturer of computerized personal
training systems for the rehabilitation and fitness industries.
"I think people would be surprised to see a young, high-tech
company with employees who wear suits."

Camhi, who founded the company with partner Andy Greenberg, 32,
finds the relaxed office offers unique advantages to the company.
"It's a competitive advantage in hiring," says Camhi.
"The nature of the office makes it more team-oriented with
less barriers. You come off the elevator, walk into our space, and
you know there's something different going on here than in a
traditional office."

Although he admits to donning a suit when making sales calls to
more traditional offices, Camhi sees his company as an example of
the future of office culture. "Casual [dress] lends itself to
a relaxed, cross-functional work environment. The suit-and-tie
office is a sign of a more constrained, slow-moving, formal
environment that just doesn't fit our culture."